Wigan Athletic (A) - Saturday 27th June (3pm)

[joey_big_nose]

5 hours ago, Fraserkirky said:

Rothwell in for me and Downing to LB, Nyambe for Benno, and Arma for Gallagher.

Walton

Nyambe Lenihan Tosin Downing

Travis Evans Holtby

Rothwell

Brereton Armstrong

Can't really see Tony changing the team after a very solid win against Bristol City. Maybe Armstrong for Holtby, but I can see how Mowbray fancies him off the bench.

Theres a game following midweek so I could see Nyambe,Armstrong and Rothwell coming in for that one.

I'm interested to see how this bizarre false 9 and wide strikers formation develops. Think it's the strangest I've seen in all my time following Rovers (and that's saying something - there were some corkers under Souness) but it worked pretty well. Wigans back 4 will be wondering how on earth do you mark it.

Edit - it's the sort of formation that screams it has been developed through data mining rather than human intuition. Basically looking at aerial duels won and ball retention, shots per game etc. Money Ball sort of thing... 

Edited June 24, 2020 by joey_big_nose

[Guest]

Despite our 3-1 victory, I think every man and his dog can see Holtby as a 'Firmino False 9' didn't work one iota. Can't imagine that will continue. He'll either go full 4-3-3 and get Armstrong in the side, or it'll be back to 4-2-3-1 with Holtby in a more natural 'behind the striker' role.

[Scotland1]

Hope we get stuck into Wigan more this time we were constantly out battled and out thought at Xmas. 

We owe them a pasting, used to like Wigan but the disgraceful way there fans went on after Dacks injury changed that for me.

[TruRover]

Tough game this, Wigan are in a good patch of form atm and have survival to play off so we’re going to have to be up for it. In reality though if we want to make the play offs we all know this is a game we need to win. Hopefully we can finally break that glass ceiling of ours, if we do it might hugely benefit us psychologically going in to our remaining games. In terms of the team, strong performances all round make it a difficult selection, though u would think both arma and Nyambe must come back in. I’d go with:

Walton 

Nyambe Tosin Lenihan JRC (unless bell is fully fit)

evans Downing travis 

gallagher arma brereton

 

[chaddyrovers]

Bell and Williams not fit. 

Rankin Costello is touch and go.  

 

[Guest]

Just now, chaddyrovers said:

Bell and Williams not fit. 

Rankin Costello is touch and go.

Bennett will play LB most likely.

[Admiral Nelsen]

If there's not improvement with the left backs, I'd be happy sticking Downing there, putting Holtby back in the midfield and starting Arma with Brereton and Gally up front.

Suppose Bennett to left back is the least disruptive option with Nyambe being fit.

[joey_big_nose]

Is Nyambe definitely fit?

[Guest]

Just now, joey_big_nose said:

Is Nyambe definitely fit?

Yes, Lancs Live article today with Mowbray says as much. Williams and Bell won't play and JRC he was *very* quiet about.

[chaddyrovers]

13 minutes ago, Admiral Nelsen said:

If there's not improvement with the left backs, I'd be happy sticking Downing there, putting Holtby back in the midfield and starting Arma with Brereton and Gally up front.

Suppose Bennett to left back is the least disruptive option with Nyambe being fit.

Do we not need Downing's ability on the ball in centre midfield? 

[chaddyrovers]

 

Edited June 25, 2020 by chaddyrovers

[Guest]

1 minute ago, chaddyrovers said:

Do we not need Downing's ability on the ball in centre midfield? 

I believe we do. Wigan are okay out wide, Jamal Lowe, Antonee Robinson, Nathan Byrne, Anthony Pilkington. It's through the middle that they're weak. Kipre, Fox, Williams, Morsy - it's a League One midfield and defence. We need to be overloading that area between their back four and the midfield on Saturday, and Downing will help with that, but only as a midfielder, not stuck at left-back.

[philipl]

Huddersfield looked either not 100% or giving Wigan too much respect.

Either way we need to be more disruptive and stop them from playing. 

Stop the supply lines from middle and back for Wigan and should be OK.

They also have a man mountain up front.

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, philipl said:

They also have a man mountain up front.

Big game for Tosin against Kieffer Moore.

[Admiral Nelsen]

30 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

Do we not need Downing's ability on the ball in centre midfield? 

Ideally, but then again this is a way to get Hotlby in the game more whilst getting Arma on the pitch too. I'd be perfectly happy with either scenario to be honest, but I'm thinking that having three left back injuries might be seen as an opportunity to reshuffle to get our best players starting elsewhere on the pitch.

[MarkBRFC]

I reckon Bennett will play at left back if Nyambe is fit.

[RoversClitheroe]

4 minutes ago, MarkBRFC said:

I reckon Bennett will play at left back if Nyambe is fit.

Let's hope not. I'd be putting downing there and someone else in CM to stop that occuring.

[tomphil]

1 hour ago, Scotland1 said:

Hope we get stuck into Wigan more this time we were constantly out battled and out thought at Xmas. 

We owe them a pasting, used to like Wigan but the disgraceful way there fans went on after Dacks injury changed that for me.

They are a team who nearly always out bullies us for some reason, maybe they just get more fired up for it than us. Sick of the number of times we've been rolled over there down the years by them being stronger in the tackles etc.

Maybe them having no fans behind them in this will help us.

[JacknOry]

Definitely Downing at LB for me if BEll, Williams and JRC cannot play. Get Holtby in midfield with Evans and Travis.

Side note - never been Evans biggest fan but kudos for the way he played after such a serious injury. 

[JHRover]

They got away with murder last season with a disgraceful challenge on one of our players in the first few minutes that the referee didn't deal with. Presumably it was too early. 

Then the season before Bennett got a very soft sending off.

They are a nasty side in the image of their manager and will bully and outmuscle us if we allow it.

I do worry about these sort of fixtures because I don't think we've enough nastiness to deal with it at times. We'll play some nice stuff but digging deep and countering the physical side of things against teams like this is a worry.

Make or break time again though. We are at the glass ceiling with in theory two of the weaker teams to play whilst direct rivals play each other. 

In times gone by we'd fluff it in these two then probably beat Leeds. Let's see if we've progressed or can benefit from Covid 19.

[Admiral Nelsen]

12 minutes ago, JacknOry said:

Definitely Downing at LB for me if BEll, Williams and JRC cannot play. Get Holtby in midfield with Evans and Travis.

Side note - never been Evans biggest fan but kudos for the way he played after such a serious injury. 

Managing the squad will be a real challenge from now til the end of the season. I'm not sure that Evans can put in that sort of performance three games a week without picking up an injury, but if we can get 4-5 games out of him at that level then it could be the difference between getting in the top six and missing out. 

[Bigdoggsteel]

                       Walton

Nyambe  Tosin Lenihan JRC(if he is fit, otherwise Bell or Williams) 

          Evans Johnson Travis

      Brereton Armstrong Gallagher 

We need a muscular and physical performance against these animals. Hopefully we avoid injuries. 

[JacknOry]

12 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

                       Walton

Nyambe  Tosin Lenihan JRC(if he is fit, otherwise Bell or Williams) 

          Evans Johnson Travis

      Brereton Armstrong Gallagher 

We need a muscular and physical performance against these animals. Hopefully we avoid injuries. 

Welcome to the boards

been established that Bell and WIlliams are out and possible that JRC is too. 

Edited June 25, 2020 by JacknOry

[simongarnerisgod]

horrible team are wigan with a thug of a manager and wimbledon style direct game,keep the ball and they`ll get shattered ,avoid the intimidation and get one of your own in when the refs not looking,cmon rovers,dismantle the dinosaurs

[chaddyrovers]

My team base on what was said at Mowbray's press conference today.  

                      Walton

Nyambe Lenihan Adarabioyo Rankin-Costello

             Travis  Downing  Evans 

 Gallagher      Armstrong      Brereton 

If Rankin Costello cant play then Bennett plays left back